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Gem-Studded Puffball Mushroom

An Edible Gem

A young Gem-studded or Common Puffball (Lycoperdon perlatum) in the woods of Distant Hill Gardens in Walpole, New Hampshire.
A young Gem-studded or Common Puffball (Lycoperdon perlatum)

Gem-studded puffballLycoperdon perlatum, are also known as common puffball, warted puffball, or the devil's snuff-box.

 

Puffballs are considered to be a good edible mushroom when young, when the gleba or inside is still homogeneous and white. Nutritional analysis of puffballs indicates that they are a good source of protein, carbohydrates, fats, and several micronutrients.

A mature Gem-studded or Common Puffball (Lycoperdon perlatum) in the woods of Distant Hill Gardens in Walpole, New Hampshire.
A mature Gem-studded or Common Puffball (Lycoperdon perlatum)

In maturity, the top of the puffball sloughs away, revealing a pre-formed hole called the ostiole, through which the spores can escape. Mature puffballs release their powdery spores through the ostiole when they are compressed by touch or falling raindrops. A single puff like this can release over a million spores.